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Merak
Merak is an original character, and the primary antagonist in Infinite Horizon Book 2: Twilight. He returns as an antagonist in Book 3: Dusk, but later joins Nanoha Takamachi and her friends (for selfish reasons). He is also the main protagonist in Infinite Horizon Next: Side Merak. Name Merak is named for the Maserati Merak sports car, in the same fashion and spirit as several other characters from the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series. Merak is also the name of one of the seven stars in the constellation Ursa Major (The Big Dipper). Appearance In Book 2 and Nocturne, Merak has grey eyes and short black hair that drapes over his right eye. He wears a black robe with his 6 Graves attached under his tailcoat. In Book 3, Merak's hair turns white, and his eyes are a sharp yellow color, both of which was a side-effect of a process used on him. In Next, he regains his black hair color and grey eyes, which he explains was due to a simple spell that restored his original appearance. Personality In Book 2, Merak originally appeared calm and polite, only interested in serving Hayate as a member of the Wolkenritter, though it is revealed later that this was a ruse. In reality, he is cold and calculating, analyzing all possible scenarios in a given situation before making the decision that bests suits him and his interests. After obtaining the Book of Darkness, he sheds his false persona and begins displaying a more vain side, constantly referring to himself as a genius and demeaning others around him. When he returns in Book 3, he is calmer and somewhat sardonic, mocking Nanoha, reminding her that he was the first human she ever killed, and often trying to provoke her into fighting him. After joining Nanoha's team, he explains that the only reason he is helping her is because it ultimately gives him what he wants: the destruction of his enemies. In both versions of Next, Merak has become less aggressive as he has begun to direct his efforts towards scholarly pursuits, but still possesses his sharp wit and snark from Book 3. He now avoids harming others, but is not above attacking if he is provoked or wronged in some way. History The Original Merak (Infinite Horizon continuity) The man known as Merak was born in the ancient era of Belka, shortly before its decline. He was a member of a secret council of 7 of the most brilliant scientists of the time, known as the Northern Cross. The other members were named Dubhe, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid, after the other stars in the Ursa Major constellation. During the Warring Ages of Belka, the Northern Cross began work on an ultimate archive of magic: the Tome of the Night Sky. Each of the seven scientists were tasked with designing a different aspect of the device. Merak's role in the tome's construction was to design a fail-safe to prevent it from being used by someone the Northern Cross deemed unworthy. Merak's only passion at the time was the pursuit of knowledge, so he secretly coveted the tome for himself, and designed the fail-safe to slowly consume the life of its master by creating the virus Nachtwal. As development continued, he began to develop feelings for fellow member Alioth, who was in charge of designing the Guardian Knight System for the book, and for a time, Merak considered abandoning his plans and designing the fail-safe normally, without any malevolent effects. However, when the Belkan empire began to decline and collapse, the head of the Northern Cross, Dubhe, began to see an opportunity to sieze power. He ordered that the Tome of the Night Sky be converted from an archive of spells to a weapon that could overthrow the Holy Kings. Merak was outraged by this, and quickly returned to his plan of developing Nachtwal, but was discovered by Alioth. Despite arguing, Alioth did not report Merak to the others, and allowed him to continue his work, hoping that he would see the folly of his ways. When the Tome of the Night Sky was completed, Dubhe became its first master. But due to the effects of Nachtwal, he was unable to use the book's power to take over the failing empire, and eventually lost his life, much to the bewilderment of the other Northern Cross members, except for Merak and Alioth. One by one, the remaining members took on mastership of the book, only to be slowly killed by Nachtwal, until Merak and Alioth were the last two remaining members.Before Merak could take the book for himself, Alioth registered herself as the next master, to show Merak that his greed and anger had caused him to lose everything. Until the day she died, Merak constantly wept by her side, begging for forgiveness, but never received it. Alone and on a near-dead world, Merak made himself the book's next master, and spent the final years of his life trying to find a way to ensure the Tome of the Night Sky was never used again. The book's regenerative ability, developed by Phecda, made it virtually indestructible, so he chose to find a way to make a permanent master for the book, one that would never succumb to Nachtwal. Knowing he would not have enough time to accomplish this, he created a copy of his Linker Core and embedded it into the Guardian Knight System, filling it with his memories so that it would carry on his work. However, as the years went by, this copy was slowly affected by Nachtwal, partially erasing its memories and corrupting its personality, which ultimately led to the creation of the new Merak that everyone knew. Infinite Horizon Book 2: Twilight The False Knight When the Book of Darkness appeared before Hayate Yagami, the Guardian Knight program created 5 protectors, the Wolkenritter: Signum, Vita, Shamal, Zafira, and Merak. As a Wolkenritter, Merak seemed stoic and devoted to his cause, like his fellow knights. He accompanied Vita during her first encounter with Nanoha Takamachi, showing interest in Nanoha's ability despite her age. Merak was the one who suggested that the Wolkenritter investigate other dimensions and worlds in order to gather different kinds of energy to feed the Book of Darkness in order to save Hayate's life. He departed for Sector WN to examine the Neuroi and attempt to control them to harvest their energy, but was intervened by Nanoha, the members of COSMOS, and the Strike Witches. He was again surprised to see Nanoha had pursued him into another dimensional sector, and introduced himself. When asked to surrender, he refused, then used the Neuroi he had controlled to attack and cover his escape. Afterwards, he was met by the disguised Liese twins, who were instructed by Admiral Graham to inform Merak of something in Sector FN that would interest him. Later, Merak travelled to Sector FN, and faked his capture to secure a clandestine alliance with Caster, keeping it a secret even from the other Wolkenritter. He was intrigued by Caster's Noble Phantasm, the Rule Breaker, which had the power to sever all magical bonds with the person it stabs. By studying the Rule Breaker, he devised a way to recreate its effects before fleeing, leaving Caster to be defeated by COSMOS. The Master of the Book After multiple confrontations between the Wolkenritter and COSMOS, the two sides prepared for a final clash in Sector MS. During the battle, however, Merak had disappeared, leaving behind a Fake Silhouette to fight in his place. Vita was the first to notice this deception and immediately departed the battlefield to search for him. Vita confronted Merak in Hayate's room, seeing him about to stab Hayate with his Rule Breaker copy, but Merak immediately subdued her. He then revealed his true intentions, to take the Book of Darkness as his own, and plunged the dagger into Hayate's chest, transferring ownership of the Book to himself. Since the Book of Darkness drains the power of its master, and Merak drew his own power from the Book as a Wolkenritter, he created an infinite loop that allowed him to circumvent the Book's curse. Initially, Vita refused to obey Merak despite his new status as master, so as collateral, he imprisoned Hayate within the book, threatening to kill her if Vita resisted. Merak returned to the battle to exhibit his newfound power, making quick work of the confused members of COSMOS, then choosing to flee with the Wolkenritter. Knowing that the members of COSMOS would pursue him, he immediately began forging alliances with other enemies of COSMOS, including Kirei Kotomine from Sector FN, Sigma from Sector RX, and Moebius of Sector LB, sending the Wolkenritter as his delegates to each, but keeping Vita nearby out of distrust. He went to Sector TT personally to negotiate with the criminal mastermind Slade, but his offer was turned down. In the Infinite Horizon continuity, he also provided Trevor Maloney of Sector WN with the plans and prototype for the Warlock, based on his own prior research on the Neuroi. In exchange, Maloney used his political clout to temporarily shut down the Strike Witches to neutralize them as a threat to Merak. Downfall, Defeat, and Demise One by one, Merak's alliances fell apart, leaving him isolated. He returned to Sector MS to reassess the situation, but was intercepted by COSMOS. He ordered the Wolkenritter to defend him, but they refused. Enraged, he killed the four knights, returning their Linker Cores to the Book of Darkness to fuel his own strength. Nanoha pleaded with Merak, asking him why he was doing all these things, to which Merak laughed and replied with a grin: “What reason do I need other than 'because I can'?” This response disgusted Nanoha. Using the Book of Darkness, Merak magnified his Fake Silhouette spell, creating a nearly endless army of duplicates of fallen enemies to fight COSMOS. After a long and grueling battle, Merak had reached his limit. Using this opportunity, Nanoha charged at him with Raising Heart Excelion. However, the attack proved too effective, shattering Merak's shield and impaling him in the chest, and firing the subsequent attack through his heart. Utterly shocked, Merak's final words to Nanoha were: “You... killed me...!” Unable to maintain his control, Merak's Linker Core was absorbed by the Book of Darkness, completing its final page and causing the Book's Defense Program to go berserk. When the Defense Program was severed from the Book of Darkness by Hayate, it assumed the form of an amalgamation of all the creatures the Book absorbed, including Merak. With the combined efforts of the members of COSMOS, the raging Defense Program was launched into space above Nanoha's world and destroyed by the Asura's Arc-en-Ciel cannon, thus finally ending Merak's existence, or so it seemed. In reality, the Arc-en-Ciel cannon's blast transported the Defense Program's remains into a void dimension, where it was retrieved by the Al-Hazardans. Merak's Linker Core was extracted from it, and his body was reconstituted by the advanced techniques of Al-Hazard. During his internment, he was tortured, experimented on, and enslaved by the god-like masters of the lost civilization. Infinite Horizon Book 3: Dusk The Serpent Merak's return was in the form of a silent, masked man in a bulky red robe who unquestioningly provided information and weapons to the Midchildan Supremacy Army, referred to as “The Serpent” by both the Supremacists and TSAB. He often elected to oversee the Supremacists' operations personally, coming to blows with Riot Force 6 and COSMOS. Nanoha became wary of the masked man when he used a fighting style familiar to her, and when he was able to predict her strategies and tactics. During a massive air battle, Nanoha and The Serpent were locked in single combat. They were evenly matched, each one's attacks being nullified by the other's. Spotting an opening, Nanoha attacked again, striking the man in the face and destroying his mask. A wave of both shock and dread overwhelmed Nanoha when she saw the face beneath it: the face of her nemesis from 10 years ago, Merak. Merak used her shock to his advantage and attacked, seriously injuring her before fleeing the battlefield, leaving behind a cryptic message: “Dusk is falling.” It was later discovered that Merak was actually working alongside the rogue scientist and criminal Jail Scaglietti, who provided the Supremacists with their gadget drone forces and Anti Magilink Field technology. Merak acted as the middleman, keeping Scaglietti's identity as the Supremacists' true supplier a secret. Revenge Merak expressed a desire for revenge against Nanoha for killing him, claiming that she only defeated him before because she had an army at her back. He attempted to contact her, challenging her to a one-on-one duel to the death, but the message was intercepted by Subaru Nakajima, who chose to meet Merak in Nanoha's place. Disappointed that Nanoha never received his challenge, Merak tried to kill Subaru and send her corpse to Nanoha as a message that could not be ignored. He made quick work of the inexperienced Subaru, but before he could deliver the killing blow, he was stopped by several members of COSMOS, including Subaru's partner Teana Lanster, forcing him to retreat. Whenever Merak and Nanoha came into contact with eachother, he would mock her, constantly reminding her that he was the first human being she had ever killed, and often tried to provoke her into attacking him. During the joint attack on Midchilda's Ground Forces, Riot Force 6, and the Elysium, Merak led the attack on Long Arch while Nanoha was trapped at Ground Forces HQ. He infiltrated the building with Lutecia Alpine and abducted the mysterious girl Vivio, whom Nanoha had become attached to, and grievously injuring Vice Granscenic. It was Merak's hope that these actions would enrage Nanoha to the point that she would hunt him down and willingly try to kill him again, so that he could have his desired rematch against her. Merak's New Purpose During the final battle against Jail Scaglietti and the Saint's Cradle, Nanoha infiltrated the massive ship to rescue Vivio. Her path was blocked, however, by a special barrier erected by Merak, forcing her to confront her nemesis. He casually invited her to have a seat and chat with him, knowing that Nanoha's anger was close to boiling over. During this time, he explained the secret to his revival. However, the resurrection process left Merak at the mercy of his 'rescuers', and he was forced to do their bidding or be killed again. He was instructed to prolong the war between the Time-Space Administration Bureau and the Midchildan Supremacy Army as much as possible in order to divert attention away from an impending invasion. After their conversation, Merak lowered the barrier and told Nanoha that Vivio was further inside. When she asked him why he was letting her go without a fight, Merak grinned and told her that since he had done his job so well, his benefactors were beginning the invasion ahead of schedule. Even if he did exact his revenge on Nanoha, he says he would not live long enough to enjoy it. After Nanoha rescued Vivio, the Cradle's reactor was destroyed and the ship began to collapse. During their escape, Nanoha saw Merak still sitting in the room they met in, waiting for his inevitable death. In a moment of mixed emotions, she grabbed Merak by the hand and dragged him out of the crumbling ship, saving his life. Nanoha brought Merak aboard the COSMOS flagship, the Elysium, shocking every member of COSMOS, including her closest friends. She explained that Merak was the only one who knew the identity of the group that instigated the war, and what their plans were. Merak naturally refused to tell her anything, retaining his disdain and hatred for her. Only after Nanoha makes a secret agreement with him does he decide to divulge what he knows. He reveals to COSMOS the identity of the true enemy and the ones responsible for his return: the people of the lost city of Al-Hazard. The Al-Hazardans hid themselves in a void dimension and intentionally spread out the Lost Logia and uplifted many civilizations as part of an experiment to stimulate and guide evolution, and now that they have observed and recorded the results, they are returning to wipe the slate clean by destroying all sentient life in the multiverse and beginning their experiment anew. The Secret Agreement and the Final Duel Although Merak shared his information with COSMOS, he refused to fight on their behalf. During their first battle against the Al-Hazardans, Nanoha was in danger of being killed by a particular Al-Hazardan, the individual responsible for controlling Merak when he was in their service. After some unexpected help from Jail Scaglietti's cyborgs Cinque, Nove, Dieci, and Wendi, Merak entered the fray, saving Nanoha, claiming nobody but he was allowed to kill her. Together, they overpowered and destroyed the Al-Hazardan. He later explained that before the battle of the Saint's Cradle, he persuaded Cinque to convince some of her sisters to leave Scaglietti and entrusted her with information on the Al-Hazardans in the event he was killed. After the final battle, the Al-Hazardans were broken and defeated, and the void dimension they inhabited began to collapse. Immediately afterwards, Merak launched an attack against Nanoha, telling her that it was time to fulfill their agreement. The members of COSMOS were confused, not knowing what he was talking about. Nanoha explained that in order to get his help, Nanoha agreed that if they succeeded in defeating the Al-Hazardans, she would accept Merak's challenge of a fight to the death. Despite objections from everyone else, Nanoha honored her agreement, and the two prodigal mages clashed ferociously with eachother at the edge of the universe, while the other COSMOS members were forced to flee the collapsing dimension in the Elysium. Merak's attacks were unrestrained and relentless, slowly chipping away at Nanoha's defenses, and Merak showed no signs of exhaustion or weakness. It seemed that Merak would be the one to emerge victorious. Before the coup de grace, however, he stopped. His body began glowing and started to fade away; he had run out of time. He gave a slight smile and chuckled to himself, saying it was his loss. Nanoha shook her head, saying that if Merak had more time, he would have won the fight and killed her. With the last of his strength, Merak helped Nanoha escape the void dimension and finally departed from the multiverse, satisfied. Although it seemed like he was gone forever this time, Nanoha could not shake the feeling that this would not be the last she had seen of Merak. Infinite Horizon Next: Side Merak The Prophecy It is revealed in the beginning that Merak was, in fact, alive the entire time after the Third Crisis, and exploring ancient ruins in his pursuit of knowledge and power. After infiltrating a ruin monitored by the TSAB, he discovers a mural depicting an ancient prophecy. Almost immediately after reading it, he is attacked by an unknown creature. He barely managed to defeat it on his own, and while he tried to recover from his injuries, he was found by TSAB agents sent to investigate the disturbance at the ruins, who just happened to be the four Nakajima sisters who sided with him during the Third Crisis. After explaining to them how he was able to fake his death and elude detection for so long, Merak showed the Nakajima sisters the mural inside the ruins. Suddenly, the group was attacked by even more creatures, and Merak deduced that someone sent them to kill anyone who knew about the prophecy. He decided that he would do what was necessary to fulfill the prophecy and uncover the identity of his assailant. Concerned for his well-being, the Nakajima sisters agreed to accompany him once more on his journey. NEXUS In order to fulfill the prophecy, Merak would have to form an army that could match the strength of COSMOS. So he began travelling across the multiverse in search of exceptional individuals to recruit, such as the Suite Precure team, Shiki Ryougi, and even hiring the Freelancer, a COSMOS veteran. Eventually, transporting the group between worlds became a burden on Merak, and he hatched a plan to hijack and steal the TSAB's newest Elysium-class ship at its christening. To accomplish this, he sought the help of a cult called the Disciples of Merak, which was created in homage to him. While the cult members and several members of the group worked to hijack the ship, Merak encountered and recruited Einhart Stratos, and the two boarded the ship as it made its escape. At this moment, Nanoha and her friends arrived on the scene, but it was too late to stop the ship. Merak then announced his return to the world and issued a challenge to Nanoha and the members of COSMOS to stop his new organization, NEXUS. With the Elysium-class ship under his control, Merak announced his intentions to everyone on the ship: to create an army as powerful as COSMOS to do battle with them, and to defeat the entity beyond the mysterious Cross Gate described in the prophecy. He named the ship the Tartarus, and the Disciples of Merak became its crew. The Materials Merak and the members of NEXUS continued their journey to recruit more members, until the Tartarus detected unusual energy readings at the Cross Gate. Intrigued, Merak set a course for the gate, only to be met by an army of the mysterious monsters flowing out of a small opening in the gate. As NEXUS did battle with the creatures, something else emerged from the gate: Material-S, a girl resembling a young Nanoha Takamachi, wielding a device identical to Raising Heart. Merak was stunned as memories of his first death at Nanoha's hands rushed in his mind, allowing Material-S to deal a crippling blow to him. The Nakajima sisters recovered him, and ordered a full retreat from the Cross Gate. Inside the Tartarus, the sisters choose one among them to help Merak recuperate, while the others assume temporary command of the ship and crew. As Merak recovers, he begins to converse with his caretaker and eventually begins developing romantic feelings for her. The Beast of the Devil's Cage Eventually, the time had come for Merak's NEXUS to confront Nanoha's COSMOS. The two agreed to meet in front of the Cross Gate for their battle. In Side Nanoha, Merak and NEXUS are defeated, but in Side Merak, Merak wins this battle, and temporarily recruits the members of COSMOS to face the coming threat. Just then, the Cross Gate slides open, and an immense army of creatures, led by Material-S and Material-L, along with their leader, Material-D, emerge from it. After a long and grueling battle, NEXUS defeated the cosmic monsters and the Materials, but then, one final figure erupted through the gate, which shocked everyone: Material-N, a person who looked exactly like Merak, holding the Book of Darkness in his hand. This second Merak explained that the Cross Gate was a bridge between different realities, and in his reality, he had succeeded in defeating COSMOS at the end of the Second Crisis, killing most of their members. However, he left the three most dangerous members alive: Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate, and inflicted on them a fate worse than death: he experimented on their minds and bodies, completely erasing their identities and replacing them with ones of his making, thus creating the Materials. Material-N began his conquest of his multiverse, destroying all opposition and absorbing all sources of power with the Book of Darkness. With nothing left in his reality, he sought to open the Cross Gate so that he could begin his conquest anew. Although Material-N tried to unleash the full power of the Book of Darkness by activating its final function, CODE:U-D, he was ultimately overpowered and defeated, sent hurdling back through the Cross Gate as it began collapsing on itself. After watching the bravery of NEXUS and COSMOS, the Materials decided that they would return through the gate and find a way to defeat their Merak once and for all and restore their multiverse to its former self. After the final battle, Merak once again mysteriously vanished, only to be followed by the Nakajima sister whom he had formed a relationship with. Noting that either he was getting soft or that she knew him too well, the two then begin a new journey in search of more mysteries of the multiverse. The Tartarus remained the mobile HQ for the members of NEXUS, who would patrol the multiverse and investigate many incidents, unfettered by the politics of the TSAB as COSMOS was. Powers Merak is a master of manipulation and illusory magic, using his 6 Graves to project the vast majority of his spells. He is a prodigal mage, possessing an unnaturally large magical capacity, similar to Nanoha Takamachi. He has a balanced set of skills in battle, including martial arts and use of melee weapons. Though his raw power is not as great as Nanoha's, he compensates by using his genius intellect to analyze his opponent's fighting style and finding weak points to strike swiftly and decisively. While acting as the masked supplier for the Supremacists, Merak refrained from using his Graves in order to better conceal his identity, instead making use of a double-bladed beam sword for melee combat and firing bolts of magical energy from his hands. Graves In order to channel his massive magical energy, Merak created a set of 6 magical devices called Graves. They appear as coffin-shaped objects made of an unidentifiable black component, each about the length of his forearm. Merak is able to individually control each Grave with his mind, using them to launch attacks, or to create advanced Fake Silhouettes of himself that are capable of not only deceiving, but attacking his targets. Unlike most devices, the Graves were not equipped with an AI, as Merak believed they were annoying and unnecessary. Though reslient and difficult to hit, the Graves can be destroyed, and Merak is unable to rebuild them unless given enough time and concentration to conjure a new Grave, making this one of his only weaknesses. The Graves are also capable of converting themselves into other forms, such as beam swords, drills, and even a shield, depending on their formation. When not in use, the Graves rest in Merak's robe, hidden under his coat tails. After returning to the ruins of his ancient home and recovering the lost memories of the original Merak, he upgraded his Graves, making them more resilient and installing AIs into each of them, naming them after his deceased colleagues. The AIs' voices are also recreations of their namesakes' voices. Relationships Nanoha Takamachi Merak sees Nanoha as his nemesis, holding many conflicting values and beliefs as her. He first gained an interest in her at the beginning of the Second Crisis, during their first encounter. His curiosity was futher piqued when she quickly made a full recovery from that fight, and pursued him to Sector WN. Hayate Yagami At first, Merak appeared to be a kind, if not a little sarcastic, member of Hayate's “family” while she was first in possession of the Book of Darkness. She did not seem as upset as others upon learning of his deception, as she still held fond memories of her time with him, even if it was all just an act. In fact, just before destroying the rampaging Defense Program at the end of the Second Crisis, she gazed sadly at his thrashing form, telling him to “rest in peace”, showing that she harbored to ill will towards him. There seemed to be an odd tension between Merak and Hayate during the Third Crisis after his unmasking. Though he sometimes addressed her mockingly as his “former mistress”, she did not seem to be bothered by his attempts to provoke her. When Merak returned to the ruins of Belka to recover his lost memories, he encountered Hayate once more as they both learned the truth about his past and the origins of the Book of Darkness. Hayate told him that she was still willing to forgive him for what he did to her and considered him family, but Merak declined, stating that he was his own person with dreams and ambitions, and that it would never work between them. Midchildan Supremacy Army Under the guise of The Serpent, Merak provided intel and advanced weaponry to the Supremacists, allowing them to secure several victories in their campaign against COSMOS and the TSAB in the early stages of the Third Crisis. After being unmasked by Nanoha, he continued to supply the Supremacists at their request. Aside from Jail Scaglietti's contributions, he provided the research for the Warlock Mark II mechs and the Warframe suits derived from Strarf's weaponry. Despite Merak's assistance, the Supremacists ultimately fell to COSMOS, and he was forced to regroup with his other ally, Jail Scaglietti. Al-Hazard The Al-Hazardans used their advanced technology to bring Merak back from the dead several years after the Second Crisis, and further enhance his already impressive power. In order to keep him in check, they inserted several torture devices and limiters into his body, reducing him to a pet on a very short leash. They then allowed Merak to roam between several worlds to gather information on potential threats before launching their invasion. Little did they know, however, was that Merak had already begun making plans to break free from his servitude and take his revenge. It could be said that reviving Merak was the first step to the Al-Hazardans' ultimate downfall. Numbers Numbers V, IX, X, and XI, also known as Cinque, Nove, Dieci, and Wendi, both respect and trust Merak to a farther extent than most other individuals. The four cyborgs first worked with Merak during a recon mission to Sector HF to assess the threat of the Desert Apostles. While Cinque recovered from wounds inflicted by Subaru Nakajima, Merak convinced her that continuing to follow her “father” Jail Scaglietti would have disastrous results for her and her siblings, and that she should join him instead. With her influence, he also persuaded Nove, Dieci, and Wendi to abandon their posts during the battle of the Saint's Cradle to avoid capture or possible death. The four sisters resurfaced during the first battle against the Al-Hazardans, when Merak's life was in danger. They agreed to fight alongside COSMOS not because it was the right thing to do, but because Merak had chosen to do so. After the final battle, he seemed to show genuine concern for the girls when he instructed them to surrender themselves to COSMOS and the TSAB, and to accept whatever punishment they receive, despite their protests. They were the only ones to mourn his second “death” after his final duel with Nanoha. Depending on Merak's decisions in Side Merak, he will begin a romantic relationship with either Nove, Dieci, or Wendi. Trivia * Merak was designed to be the “anti-Nanoha”, in several ways: ** Nanoha is female, Merak is male. ** Nanoha is left-handed, Merak is right-handed. ** Nanoha uses brute force to overpower opponents, Merak exploits weaknesses, both physical and mental, and makes precision strikes. ** Nanoha uses her magical ability to help and befriend others, Merak uses his magic to take advantage of lesser people and manipulates the feelings of others to get what he wants. *Merak's Graves are a tribute to the remote weapons used by many advanced units in the Gundam series (bits, Funnels, DRAGOON systen, GN Fangs, etc.) *Merak's personailty in Book 2 is similar to that of Rau le Creuset, the primary antagonist of the first Gundam SEED series. *After the events of Book 3, Merak's personality becomes less malevolent, and he transitions into a role similar to an anti-hero or neutral party. He still acts for selfish reasons, but does not intentionally harm others unless they have wronged him in some way.